Islamic Myths
http://www.westernresistance.com/blog/archives/003465.html
Commentary: Thoughts on Pro-Islamic Myths
During the Cold War, which was mighty hot in some places, the United States and Europe were subject to the greatest influence operation--propaganda--the World has ever seen. We are seeing a rival operation these days, although what is being propagandized is not that wonderful Socialism, despite its remaining advocates, but the latest, most wonderful wave of the future; the magnificently peaceful and tolerant religion, Islam.
In this short article we will examine five of the most prevalent myths told and retold to advance the Islamic cause. We hope to make our readers aware of these myths so they are better equipped to fight them.
1. The Myth of Past Islamic Greatness:
This myth has several variations, all amounting to the same thing; Muslims were once great, and infidels owe them a lot, if not their whole civilization. Variations of this myth include the Andalusian utopia, the tolerant Baghdad Caliphate, and the golden Ottoman rule. According to the myth of the Andalusian utopia, for example, tolerant al-Andalus served as a beacon of light upon dark Europe during the worst of the dark ages. (At this point all morally upright people are supposed to exhale in awe of the wonderful Islamic past.) Thomas Aquinas himself stole his philosophy from the greatest philosopher of all, al-Ghazali.
2. The Myth of Islamic Tolerance.
This is a variation of the Myth of Islamic Greatness but it is so prevalent it deserves its own paragraph. According to this view, Islam has a great record of tolerance and peaceful coexistence with other religions, in contrast to that awful Christian religion or the obscurantism of Hinduism. This is a tergiversation of the first order and a reckless denial of the past, but it doesn't matter; it has become the conventional wisdom. It has been argued (1) that Jews were better off under Islam in part because, under certain circumstances, Muslims would marry Jews, but Christians would not. This overlooks the rather crucial fact that only Muslim men would marry Jewish women, which is in a far worse oppression to Jewish men than not marrying Jews at all.
3. The Myth of the Inevitability of the Islamic Victory.
This is a standard myth advanced by almost all proselytizing ideologies. Its objective is to demoralize current or potential opponents. It amounts to "Islam is the wave of the future, so why bother fighting it. You are better off joining the bandwagon instead." Many efforts are spent to show Islam victorious everywhere, and to exaggerate Islamic victories to the largest extent possible. However sad the fact that Islam has been advancing in recent decades, we should not fall for this myth. Victory is earned, not guaranteed; that is true for Islam as it is for any other ideology.
4. The Myth of the Wickedness of the Infidel.
This is the "other side of the coin" to the Myth of Islamic Greatness. For infidel societies to be worthy of destruction, they must be wicked beyond belief. This is how the failings of our societies--some real, some not--are exaggerated and falsified. It is not that we are imperfect, as we surely are, but that we are beyond redemption.
5. The Myth of the Great Zionist Conspiracy.
Just as it is necessary to exalt the failings of the infidel, it is necessary to explain away the failings of Islamic societies, and for this nothing has proven as useful as the Myth of the Great Zionist Conspiracy. Think of the possibilities: we are poor; it is the Zionists' fault. We lose wars; blame the Zionist devils. The price of oil falls; it is those clever Zionist bankers. Some of our children and unmarriageable (true story); it is those clever, clever Zionists. As Eric Hoffer once observed, alibis are to be preferred to achievement, because an alibi doesn't expire while an achievement is only a temporary solution. The Great Zionist Conspiracy is the ultimate alibi.
